Nine other experiments produced like results; only the larger the dose and the earlier the death of the animal, the more simply congested were the lungs. (MOLIN, Des Specif. en Medorrhinum)
7a. I took a rabbit, 6 months old, vigorous, having, in its normal state, 78, respirations per m. April Ist. -I administered to it, in sugar of milk, 4 drops of the 6th dilution of tartarised antimony m. and e. I fed the animal with bread, bran, fresh leaves and vegetables. Its shed was so constructed that it could not suffer from cold or damp. Up to June 25th I did not observe any symptoms resulting from the administration of the medicine. I then increased the dose to 8 drops of the 6th dil., morning and evening. Towards the 10th of July the appetite of the animal diminished, and it cared to eat of fresh leaves only. Resp. was short, and had risen to 90 per minute. The animal kept at the further part of its shed. July 14th. -There were two liquid evacuations to-day. Appetite has returned. Respiration 95, short and anxious. July 24th. -The liquid motions, which are of a brownish colour, have continued during the last 10 day. The animal has lain on its abdomen with its paws stretched out. The bowels are much inflated, and on percussion sound as if distended with gas. The eye is rather dull; the ears are hot. It does not like to be touched. Respiration 105, hurried and short. It eats less and less. 28th. -Since yesterday morning it has taken no food. The liquid evacuations are more frequent. It lies at the end of the shed; the eyes are very dim, and the ears rest on its neck; the fur has lost its brilliancy. Respiration 110, and very anxious. 31st. -The animal died to-day; I made post-mortem 6 hours after death. About the lips there is a frothy liquid; the gums are of a brownish colour; the mucous membrane of the mouth and of the pharynx is of a deep red colour, upon which I also observe some small white spots. The stomach contains a small quantity of fluid, which is stringy. The mucous membrane is swollen and has patches of a red colour here and there. In the duodenum also I observe the red patches. In the rest of the small intestines are also streaks of red and arborisations. The mucous membrane of the large intestines is of a dark red colour; and there are some ulcerations in the cecum. The traces of inflammation get fainter as we get towards the end of the intestine. The peritoneum shows some traces of the same red colour. The liver is increased in size and of a deep red. It is rather hard, and more perceptibly so when it is cut. The spleen is normal. The kidneys are red and congested. The bladder is distended and contains thick straw-coloured urine, having a strong ammoniacal odour. The mucous membrane of larynx and trachea is red, and presents arborisations of a deeper hue. In the pleura there is abundant fluid of a whitish-yellow colour, in which float threads of albumen. The membrane is red. The lungs are inflated, and the parenchyma is of a deep red. Crepitation exists in the lower two thirds of the right lung. In the remainder the density is increased. Upon section there oozes a little red fluid, and I find in the tissue of both lungs clots of coagulated blood; particularly in the apex. the pericardium is red, but there is no fluid in the cavity. There is coagulated blood in the cavities of the heart. Brain is normal. 7b. A rabbit, 5 months old, not very strong. Respiration 82. Oct. 20th. -I administer to it, morning and evening, 4 drops of the 6th dil. of tartarised antimony. Nov. 8th. -Observing no symptoms, I give it 8 drops m. and evening 13th. -Its motions are liquid and yellow. Eats nothing all day 14th. _It begins to eat again a little. The liquid motions continue. 18th. -The evacuations have been completely suppressed since yesterday evening; but he eats very little 24th. -Resp. becomes quicker, 105 per minute, and very loud. He now and then makes a noise which one might call a cough. He is very restless, cannot remain quiet. Ears seem as if broken; are flabby and very hot. Eyes are dull, and thick mucus comes from the mouth. The fur has lost its brilliancy. The stomach is inflated; percussion tympanitic. The animal rolls about as if he had colic. He no longer eats. He remained in this state till the 26th, when respiration became embarrassed and he died. I made post-mortem 4 hours after death. The fur is dull looking and is easily detached. From the nasal fossa comes a thick, black mucus. The membrane is red; also the membrane of frontal sinus. Nothing abnormal in the brain. The jaws are firmly closed and can only be opened forcibly. A fetid odour is then perceived. The gums are blackish; the saliva is glutinous, thick, rather dark, and contains bubbles of air. The tongue is hard and rather contracted. The mucous membrane of the mouth and throat is red. The stomach has collapsed to its natural size and looks like parchment. The pyloric orifice is red and swollen. In the intestines there is redness in patches, particularly in the large; and, like the stomach, they have returned (collapsed) to their natural size. There is rather a large quantity of during in the large intestine and it is very hard. In the rectum are several ulcerations; and the mucous membrane around the anus is swollen. The peritoneum is inflamed, but contains no fluid. The liver is pale, hard, and shrunken; when cut a serous fluid escapes. Spleen is normal. Kidneys are congested. Bladder is distended with a thick, reddish-yellow liquid of a disagreeable odour. The vesical mucous membrane is very red, particularly towards the neck and the canal of the urethra. The pleura is injected, but there is no fluid. The lungs are of a violet red, the tint becoming deeper in the inferior lobes, and there are large blackish patches like spotted marbles. The hepatisation of the lesser lobe and of the inferior part of the superior lobe is less noticeable. There is no crepitation. On section, we see a granite-like appearance with blackish-red points. Clots of blood are found in great number in both lungs; and in the apices are crude tubercles, more especially in the l. On section, there escapes a little sanious fluid. The pulmonary tissue easily breaks down when taken in the fingers. It has a hard, granite-like look, something resembling the liver. A small piece put in water goes to the bottom. The pericardium presents no redness, nor is there any effusion. The heat is congested. The aorta is distended near the arch, and there is a pouch containing black and clotted blood. The animal is extremely emaciated. The flesh is soft, flabby, and discoloured (IBID, Compte rendu, &c., p. 85. Five other experiments were made with same dilution, and with similar results to those reported above.) 8a. In the Journal of Physiology for 1878 I have published in conjunction with Mr. Murrell some experiments showing that tart. em. is a protoplasmic poison which destroys the functions of all the organs of the body in the order of their vital endowments. We have shown that the general paralysis which ensues in a frog on the hypodermic injection of the drug is due to its action on the spinal cord, thus confirming previous experiments; and that it is also a direct paralyzer of the motor nerves, and of the muscles, including that of the heart. 8b. Tart. em. is a general as well as a cardiac depressant. The general depression is usually attributed to the action of the drug on the heart, but, as ant. is a poison to all nitrogenous tissues, I would suggest that its depressing action is due also to its effects on the central nervous system, the nerves, and the muscles. 8c. We noticed a peculiar effect on the skin. In a few hours the cuticle of a poisoned frog became softened and gelatinous, too soft to be stripped off, though it could be easily scraped off every part of the body. Even small doses soon produce this remarkable effect, for in one experiment the skin, after a small dose, came into this condition whilst the animal could still crawl pretty well. Miss Nunn, Lecturer on Biology in the Wellesly College, Boston, U. S.A., under the direction of Dr. Michael Foster, investigated microscopically the action of arsenious acid and of tart. em. on the skin. Miss Nunn shows that the peculiar effect of these substances is limited to the epidermis and leaves unaffected the corium, with the exception of increasing the quantity of blood it contains. (RINGER, op. cit.) 9. The structural changes in the epidermis brought about by ant. are essentially the same as those produced by arsenic. There is (1) the same marked degeneration and partial solution of the columnar layer of cells, which causes the epidermis to be held less firmly to the dermis; though, previous to the hardening, the extreme softness of the cells prevents it from being stripped away as can be done in the case of arsenic. There is (2) the same degeneration and separation of all the cells of the Malpighian layer, and (3) the same desquamation of the corneous and intermediate layers. The principal difference is the greater softness, or more complete isolation of the cells, and the somewhat more marked change in the intermediate layer. The cells of this layer appear more thoroughly detached from one another, and hence cavities are more frequently found between them; but their protoplasm is never formed with threads and processes enclosing spaces, as in the columnar cells. It is this separation of the constituent cells of the intermediate and also of the Malpighian layers which is the relief determining cause of the pulpy or mucilaginous condition of skin in antim. poisoning mentioned by Ringer and Murrell. Altogether, the action of antim. is more rapid than that of arsenic, and the changes produced by it bear evidence of more violence…. The skin, under the influence of either drug, presents a striking contrast to one which has been left to disintegrate in a natural manner after death…. Both drugs affect the cornea similarly to the skin, but in a less marked manner. (NUNN, Journ of Phys., 1878.) 10. MAGENDIE removed the stomach of a dog, and attached a pig’s bladder filled with fluid to the oesophagus in its place. He then injected tart. em. into the veins of the animal, and found that vomiting occurred in the same way as if the stomach had been in situ. (Mem. sur le Vomissement, p. 19.). This experiment has been confirmed by Brinton ( Cyclamen of Anat. and Phys., Supplement, p. 319), who further proved that when tart. em. was injected into the veins of an animal it was very freely and rapidly eliminated by the stomach. Dr. Richardson (Lancet, 1856, i) has corroborated this, and has also found that a similar elimination follows the inhalation of antimoniuretted hydrogen. (H. C. WOOD, op. cit.)
Hughes was a great writer and a scholar. He actively cooperated with Dr. T.F. Allen to compile his 'Encyclopedia' and rendered immeasurable aid to Dr. Dudgeon in translating Hahnemann's 'Materia Medica Pura' into English. In 1889 he was appointed an Editor of the 'British Homoeopathic Journal' and continued in that capacity until his demise. In 1876, Dr. Hughes was appointed as the Permanent Secretary of the Organization of the International Congress of Homoeopathy Physicians in Philadelphia. He also presided over the International Congress in London.